


Ode to Sleep

by nerdynovak



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: College AU, Eren is oblivious, M/M, Pining, Roommates, but literally they're the only characters, may or may not introduce some, probably not if we're being honest, they have a kitty!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 06:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5280209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdynovak/pseuds/nerdynovak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Living in a dorm with your best friend definitely had its perks.<br/>Eventual Eren/Levi.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mornings

My mother always told me to appreciate beautiful things. When I was little she would take me to art shows in the town hall every month, and I would always end up having to drag her away from the paintings after a couple hours. I didn't really understand it back then, but then again I was only a kid. Confiding in beautiful things such as art or photography every now and then was healthy and sometimes you need to take a moment and just drink it all in, because God knows when you'll be able to find that same state of peace again. 

That is why I never feel irritated when I wake up to the sound of soft snoring, or rustling in the bed opposite mine.

That is also why I never feel guilty about simply watching him from across the room, his face smushed into a pillow and the blankets wrapped around him like a grumpy burrito.

Living in the same dorm as your best friend definitely had its perks. I wouldn't want to wake up to anyone else's ridiculous bed head, or anyone else's silk pajamas (yes of course he has silk pjs, who do you think he is?).

I laid in my bed contently lost in my thoughts for a moment before getting up to start the coffee maker, making sure to put on pants before I got shouted at (again). There's many lovely stories I could tell about those instances, but that's for another day. 

I grab the cereal from the cabinet and milk from the fridge, sitting down in silence. I hear the alarm in our room blare, a soft groan, and a thud, which I presume is the result of a tossed object. I munch on my cereal, and wait patiently.

The door finally opens a minute later, and Levi stands there in all his glory, the comforter still curled tightly around his frame, and a messy bed head that looks like he tried to halfway fix. 

"Morning, sunshine." I say sweetly.

"Fuck off, Jaeger," he grumbles softly, to which I chuckled quietly. He shuffles over to the cabinet and takes out a mug, leaving the door open. His eyes are droopy and unseeing, and I almost laugh once more when he pours the coffee into the mug- or tries to at least.

"Levi, you're doing the thing again." The liquid missed the mug completely, spilling across the counter, creating a large brown puddle. He lets out a string of curses, and I jump up, grabbing the mug and coffee from him, our hands brushing in the process, and pour it for him as he wipes down the counter with a dozen paper towels. 

However, my self control could only last so long, and when he turns around and runs straight into the cabinet door, I nearly spill the coffee again. His hand flies up to his forehead and rubs at the abused spot. Tears rise to my eyes as I set the mug down and try to regain my bearings. 

"Stop laughing, shit stain. Would you like a blow to the head as well? 'Cause if you keep it up, that's what you're getting." 

"Aw, Levi. It's okay, we all know it's only your wounded pride talking." I coo.

"I have a fucking bruise!" 

"You want me to kiss it all better?" I make to stand up, and he immediately takes a step back, his face paling.

"Eat shit, Bright Eyes," he wanders off into the living room to drink his coffee, no doubt trying to rebuild his dignity.

I finally understood then what my mother had meant all those years ago.


	2. Mornings Pt. 2

**Levi's POV**

_I'm going to strangle him_.

These words I had become accustomed to waking up to.

_I'll do it with my own hands. Nobody would find the body; not even that shitty genius friend of his._

"Imagine this....One day you wake up...have your coffee or whatever, and then...go to get dressed...but when you try to...wiggle your ass into some jeans, they won't...slide up!" He exclaimed between motions.

I sighed, running a hand down my face in exasperation. It was half past five, we didn't have to be awake for our morning classes for another half hour, and yet here I was, laying in bed next to the exercise freak who insisted on doing push ups in the middle of the goddamn room.

"I seriously can not fucking deal with you right now, brat. At least go do them in the living room. Aside from bashing your face in, the only thing that sounds pleasant right now is sleep." The words were laced with venom, and he sat up from his position, taking a sip of his water, undeterred by my tone.

"I can't. There isn't enough room, and I don't feel like pushing the coffee table."

My head emerged from the pillow. "How are you such a nuisance so early in the morning?"

"How are you such a whiny bitch so early in the morning?" He spit back.

I growled, "If I weren't physically unable to get up right now, my foot would be shoved up your ass."

"No it wouldn't. That would be unsanitary." He grinned.

I threw my pillow at his face, satisfied with the yelp he let out.

~~~

"Levi, come on. Stop being a lazy bum."

It was the next morning and my assassination attempts had aptly failed.

"I am not running around the neighborhood with you." I stubbornly pulled the covers over my face, praying to whatever god is up there that he would leave me be.

Sadly, my prayers went unanswered. The cold whipped across my body as he pried the blankets away, leaving me with only my thin nightclothes. I shivered, but otherwise ignored his cruel actions.

_If you ignore it, it'll go away._

"Levi. Leeviii."

A poke at my ribs.

The bed dipped as he sat inches from me. I pressed my eyes closed, and turned away from him. I knew that brat was smiling, I could feel it radiate from his face.

"Do you really want to lose that figure of yours just because of laziness?" I felt him lean over my frame and pinch my stomach through my clothes, and I gasped, sitting up in a rage and firmly pushed him off of the bed.

"Fucking fine! I'll go on the damn jog as long as you stop assaulting me like an overactive gerbil."

"Your insults need some work, Levi." He poked his head over the side of the bed with a grin.

"Your face needs some work."

~~~

The next night my slumber was awoken once again, and I took a breath, ready to tell that son of a bitch off, when I heard a whimper. I propped myself up and wiped sleep from my eyes.

The clock told me it was 3 am, and I was almost positive he wasn't actually that motivate to get fit (but you never know with him).

A shout filled the room, and my hazy mind cleared, and I looked over to a frantic Eren.

"What's wrong?" I panicked, squinting my eyes in the dark room for any signs of an intruder. I threw off the covers and walked carefully over to the boy, and I realized as I came closer that he was still asleep.

Half of his blanket was thrown off the bed, the rest of it only covering his feet, leaving his legs bare up to his mid thigh, and he was shaking almost violently. Quiet murmurs spilled from his lips, and they got louder as he thrashed.

"No.....please....stop. STOP!" I gasped as his yells became painful, and his voice cracked, probably straining his vocal cords.

Tears stained his cheeks and spilled at an alarming rate. His arms and legs were splayed out across the bed when I leaned over and scooped him up and held him, whispering soft words of comfort as the screaming died down.

I cursed, desperately hoping that whatever he was dreaming of was over. His face contorts into something more peaceful eventually, my soothing was somehow effective, and I continued to murmur into his hair, and watched his eyebrows straighten, the frown lines receding, and his thrashing become mere twitches every so often.

His trembling never ceased, neither did the frown that was fixed on his face.

Once I trusted that he could handle it, I pulled away, only pausing when he let out a grumble at the loss of contact, and grabbed the covers, flinging them over his frame.

I wiped his cheeks carefully with the back of my hand so that he didn't wake up with a crusty face and ran a hand through his hair, shuffling back to my own bed with a sigh.

I would choose the overactive gerbil boy over this one any day.


	3. Eren and Co.

**Eren's POV**

It was love at first sight.

I was walking home after class, my headphone plugged in his ears drowning out the world completely when I stumbled upon her outside of a thrift store.

She was the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen. Her fur was soft and silky and shined in the sun, and I felt my heart break when she mewled at me, rubbing against my leg. I searched around for her owner, but when I noticed her thin tummy, I came to the conclusion that she was a stray, though she doesn't act like one. She curled her tail around my ankle, and I didn't hesitate to scoop her up in my arms, holding the fragile thing to my chest.

 

~~~

 

  
**Levi's POV**

I sat at my desk in our shared room, hovering over my overly boring psych paper that, although only halfway finished, was to be handed in the next day. I grumbled at my keyboard to _type_ _already goddamn it._ The sound of the door alerted my attention, and I was thankful for the distraction.

"Levi?"

"I'm in the bedroom." I called, leaning back in defeat, knowing that I wasn't going to get it done at the moment.

Eren grinned sheepishly as he peeked in the door.

"Please don't be mad." Right, no promises. What did the fucker do this time?

A fur ball strolled in the room, sniffing around with its head held high like it owned the place.

"What the fuck is that?"

" _She_ is a cat." Eren said slowly.

"I got that part. Why the fuck is it _here_ , then?"

"I found her outside the thrift shop and it looked like she needed a home. Can we keep her?"

"Hell no. We aren't even allowed to have pets in the dorm. If we're caught we'll get kicked out."

"She'll be an inside cat, then. Come on, Levi, nobody will know." Eren pleaded. "I stopped at the store and bought some cat food and other essentials already. I googled it." His lip jutted out, and I wondered swiftly if I could make the boy get on his hands and knees.

....To beg, of course.

I eyed the cat suspiciously as it pawed at one of Eren's shoelaces.

"Fine," The brunet leapt in joy, startling the cat, and earning a hiss. "but, I have rules. First, keep it away from my stuff, especially my bed. Those things have too many germs. Second, you will pay for _everything._ Including the food and other essentials _._ Third, go give it a bath. I can smell it from over here." Eren rolled his eyes, but his grin stayed in place, and his green eyes wide with excitement.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He rushed over to my side and gave me an awkward but energetic hug.

"Oi, get off, you smell like dirt and regret." I ordered, but the boy's energy was contagious, and I found myself smiling alongside him.

The brunet let go of me and hoisted the cat up in his arms, petting it softly.

"Let's get you clean now, Pet," he cooed to the thing.

"Did you actually just call that thing pet? I take back everything I said, I want it out."

"Pet as in Petra, dumbass." Eren ignored my demand and strode off in the direction of the bathroom, saying, "He didn't mean it, Petra. He can be a grumpy old man sometimes, but he's soft on the inside." He was lucky I was out of range for any projectiles I could throw at his head.

I went back to my laptop, exasperated at my friend's antics, and definitely not any closer to being finished than when i started.

After dinner, we found ourselves curled up on the couch working on homework, with Criminal Minds reruns playing in the background. I looked over my laptop curiously.

"Where is your cat?" I hadn't seen it since the boy had taken her to bathe a few hours earlier.

Eren looked confused for a moment, apparently completely forgetting that he was a cat owner for all of two seconds before setting his laptop on the coffee table and jumping up. I sighed and went back to my paper as he turned the dorm upside down looking for the lost kitten.

"Petra! Where are you, sweetie?"

"You literally just named it today, Jaeger. It's not gonna answer you." Technically it won't answer you at all, idiot. I would never say it out loud but I felt a wave of annoyance when Eren called it 'sweetie.'

"I found her! Petra, what were you doing in the closet? How the hell did you even get in there?" Eren came hugging it to his chest and sat back down, getting comfy and set the cat between our bodies.

It wavered, sniffing hesitantly in my direction before rubbing along his leg, and I made a face, trying to shoo it away, but it forced its way into my lap anyway, and I relented, holding back a sigh and ran my fingers through its fur. It purred and licked my hand as a thank you.

"Ew. Fucking gross. Take your plaything, brat," I wiped his hand on my jeans as Eren frowned and took the cat away.

"Don't be such a downer, Levi. She likes you. Why won't you love on her?" Eren asked dramatically.

"Tell it I'm not interested."

"She is not an _it_. This is your cat as well as mine, even if I am the one to take care of her. She lives here just like we do; at least give her a chance," Eren chastised.

"Give me the fucking cat," I almost felt bad for letting the boy down, and accepted it into my lap. It mewled, and curled on my chest as I typed. I paused every so often to think about how to phrase a sentence and ruffled her fur absentmindedly, fiddling with its tail with a soft touch.

 

~~~

 

She snuck into my bed that night. I almost pushed her off, after all, she broke one of the rules, but remembered what Eren had said earlier, and left her be. If the brat asked, I would deny everything, but I didn't mind it much when she cuddled up to my side and went to sleep instantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i already have a bunch of chapters outlined, but if any of you suggest anything i could definitely work it in! i love incorporating all your ideas!  
> thank you thank you thank you for reading !! and don't forget to leave a kudos and a comment, maybe?


	4. Habits (Stay High)

**Levi's POV**

I could hear the brat scrambling in the bedroom, opening and closing drawers and undoubtedly making a mess I would fuss about later. We had a silent agreement that we would walk together to our shared morning class, but if we didn't leave soon we would both be late.

I was curled up on the couch with Petra at my side. After the first night she had crawled in my bed, she had taken an immediate liking to me and now we were rarely separated when I was home. At first I complained, it was in my nature, and the cat hair was getting out of hand, but now I felt a sense of security with her. She made the dorm feel more homey, and as long as Eren cleaned up after her, I didn't have a problem with her.

"Have you seen my glasses?"

"Did you check your dresser?"

"Yes, I've checked my dresser, Levi."

"Then nope," I checked my watch again. "I'm about to ditch you, Bright Eyes. What's wrong with your contacts?"

Eren shuffled in the room and squinted toward me. My stare lingered longer than I meant it to. No matter how many times the brat had gone without his contacts, I'd never get over how beautiful they are. One of them was a deep honey color and the other was a bright green that could compete with emeralds. It was beyond me why Eren chose to wear colored contacts. I had asked once, but I never got a straight answer.

"I'm out. I'll have to make another appointment soon." Eren grabbed his hoodie and leaned over me to give Petra a kiss, pulling back with a small smile. "I can bear through it for a day," I raised my eyebrows, "I'm not _that_ blind." Eren waved me up and grabbed his keys. "Let's go."

 

~~~

 

**Eren's POV**

To be frank, I _was_ that blind.

If bumping into people on my way to campus wasn't a sign, then maybe it was my inability to walk without tripping over air and deciding to hold on to Levi's jacket sleeve for the rest of the way. Or maybe when I had to ask Jean for his notes because I couldn't see the board (and God knows I would only go to Jean in extreme circumstances).

Either way, I made it through the day without getting severely harmed, so I declared it a victory.

I returned home with a major headache and decided a nap would be the best thing, since I would have no luck finding his glasses in this state, and continued to be ignorant of my homework's existence for the time being.

I opened the cabinet in the kitchen and picked out the ibuprofen and some NyQuil, and passed out on the couch.

 

~~~

 

**Levi's POV**

When I got home after my shift at the 7-11, I found my roommate in the living room with the cat snoozing above his shoulder. I almost wanted to take a picture, but instead settled on the couch as well, having been working for the past few hours, I was exhausted. And it seemed Eren had been as well, so I opted we could be exhausted together. How romantic.

I maneuvered under the boy's legs and lay opposite of him, my face pressed into the cushion, and dozed off in mere minutes.

I woke to movement. The brunet had somehow managed to flip his position so now his head rested on my lap, and he was apparently having a good dream. A _really_ good dream, actually. He let out a pleased moan, and a 'please' that did dirty things to me. I imagined being the subject of that dream, being the person that had Eren making those noises.

It felt too real when I opened my eyes, and I cursed myself for taking advantage of my friend like that, and swiftly moved out from under him, ignoring the slight bulge in my pants.

I was ashamed.

I was ashamed because I couldn't even be close with my best friend without these urges. Even when I managed to suppress them, they were always there, prodding at the back of my mind.

I came to terms with the fact that I had feelings for the boy a long time ago, but I always told myself that I wouldn't let those feelings get between us, because a friendly relationship with Eren was better than none at all, and I wasn't willing to take his chances. I had everything to lose.

I sighed and shoved at said friend's shoulder, who was now snoring loudly with his face buried in his arms.

"Wha-?" He woke with a start, jumping up from the couch with an alertness that was almost unnatural. "Oh, it's just Ravioli." He said with a dopey smile.

"Are you high? Never mind, don't answer that. Let's get you to bed." I grabbed Eren's arm and pulled him up and the boy immediately pulled me back and we both fell into the couch with my hips straddling Eren as to not crush him.

Our faces were inches away and Eren leaned even closer.

"Hi there." I held his breath for a beat and got up before I did something stupid, but Eren pulled me back down by my arms.

"No no wait, I don't wanna go to bed. I wanna cuddle. Cuddle with me, old man. That's an order." I raised my eyebrows and an amused expression took over my face.

"Why do you think you can order me around, Bright Eyes?"

"Because you'd listen."

"Touché. Let's hope you don't remember any of this when you're sober, or...whatever you are right now."

"I think I had too much Nyquil."

"Why the fuck did you take Nyquil at 5pm?"

"I'm just that bad ass, Ravioli. This is my life now. You'll learn to accept it someday." He patted the top of my head and leaned into my shoulder, and I struggled to support his weight. "Now carry me to my bed, servant." His arms wrapped around my neck and locked in place.

I managed to keep unwanted thoughts at bay, and picked up the boy bridal style.

"Yes, my lord."

Once in bed, the boy demanded his cuddle buddy but I persuaded him into accepting Petra instead. I walked out of the room feeling bothered (and mildly amused) and decided to make dinner to keep certain things off my mind.

 

~~~

 

Eren woke a couple hours later to the smell of lasagna and a cup of water on his nightstand.

And his glasses with a sticky note attached.

_They were on your dresser._   
_-Ravioli_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i named this chapter after the song by tove lo. why? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ good song

**Author's Note:**

> i just love the idea of them being friends for like ever before they get together k bye


End file.
